Forest Light
by Butterfly Bandage
Summary: Sequel to Observation. Shino and Hinata show each other where they go when they are feeling down. ShinoHina oneshot


**A/N: **Mmm, yeah. I got bored, so I thought I'd do a sequel to "Observation", this time from Shino's point of view. Warning, all. I am going for my first real romance scene. -le gasp-

**Disclaimer:** My _God_, I wish I owned Naruto. Shino's eyes would've been seen already, if I did. The lyrics are from High School Musical (I can't help it that I like it. It's mostly an excuse to listen to Lucas Gabreel sing. XD)

**.:X:.**

**_It's hard to believe  
That I couldn't see  
That you were always right beside me._**

**.:X:.**

**Forest Light**

**.:X:.**

If there was one thing that Aburame Shino had to admit, it was that Hinata had become a different person in the past two years.

Yes, she was still shy and easily embarassed, but there was something about the way the Hyuuga held herself that posed a different sort of kunoichi he'd never seen before. At least, not since he'd known her.

And they had known each other from a considerably young age. The Hyuugas were a prestigous clan, yes, but that didn't mean they ignored other clans, and the Aburames weren't the lowest of the low, nor the highest of the high. If anything, they were right smack in the middle, and the children of these clans, being of the same age group, saw it fit to at least acknowledge each other. Shino and Hinata had done so, Shino being his usual, moody self and Hinata her shy self. Not anti-social, either of them. Just unwilling to be noticed, preferring to stand at a distance.

But still, perhaps it was a magnatism of unwillingness that caused them to be drawn together.

At least, that's what Shino thought, anyways.

Or hoped.

**.:X:.**

"Sh...Shino-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"Y...you're a bit red in the face."

Morning training wasn't rigorous, but from a young age Shino had always woken up with a slight fever. It wasn't unusual, really, but annoying. Especially whenever people had commented on it, particularly Kiba, who'd figured that making fun of Shino would at least brighten up _his _day. The Aburame had given his teammate a little lesson on asking Shino if he'd seen a pretty girl lately and whether those glasses were for his sensitivity to light or if he just wanted to watch a female as she walked by.

Oh yeah. Kiba learned his lesson.

Shino reached up and put a hand to his cheek, with Hinata watching him anxiously. Feeling the heat, he rose his eyebrows in slight surprise when it felt warmer than usual. Deciding not to comment on that little fact, he merely said, "Yeah, it's just a slight fever. It goes away after a while." Lowering his hand, he looked over at Hinata and said, "I always wake up with a fever. It's common for me."

"Are you sure?" Hinata cocked her head thoughtfully as she continued to stare up at him. Shino became extremely thankful that his fever hid the blush creeping up his neck. Damnit. What was with him today? "I think some tea would do you good, Shino-kun..." She started and stuttered, "I m-mean, i-if that's o-okay with you. I k-know it's not my ch-choice--"

"Tea sounds good."

Hinata blinked. "Neh?"

"Tea. It's sounds like a good idea. We have thirty minutes until training, after all."

His mouth had a mind of it's own. It had to. Shino could find no other explanation for why he suddenly had the urge to go to the nearest tea shop and spend some time with Hinata. Unless...

Wait, no, stop. The blush. The blush.

It's tea. Get a hold of yourself, Aburame. Tea. That's all.

Hinata grinned brightly and clapped her hands together. "I know the perfect place, then!"

**.:X:.**

As they sat together under the tree outside of the tea shop, Hinata took a quiet sip from her cup and smiled lightly. "This is where I usually go when I want to think," she said quietly, balancing her cup in one hand as she hooked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's quiet, but not too quiet. Do you know what I mean?"

Shino nodded and looked into his cup of tea. His reflection looked back at him as well as it could, hindered by his sunglasses. He had a place like that, too.

Hinata looked up at the sky, and said, "Not a cloud in the sky today. Shikamaru-kun won't have much to do."

He smiled in spite of himself, his collar hiding it from view. Attempting a galiant sip from his tea to hide the smile, he said, almost to himself, "Places like this are usually my favorite places to just sit and look around." A butterfly flew past, seeming to settle the matter he'd been arguing with himself in his head. He gently set down his cup, and, looking at Hinata over his glasses, said quietly, "Would you come with me?"

She seemed startled, but then smiled and took ahold of his hand.

"Lead the way, Shino-kun," she said.

He blushed again.

**.:X:.**

"Th...this is beautiful, Shino-kun!" Hinata gasped, looking high into the trees.

They were standing in an enclosed space in the middle of the forest. The trees, green and bold, towered above them, the leaves ruffling lightly in the breeze. Streams of sunlight made their way through the canopy, creating the illusion of ribbons of light hanging from the branches. Dirt in the air floated visibly along the streams, and there were few trees that laid on the ground, either from wind or rain having caused them to fall. Just beyond the trees, a small little pond stood surrounded by rocks and ferns. Crayfish scuttled out of sight under the rocks, and beetles swam across the surface, creating ripples in the otherwise perfect water. But above all, every where the eye could see, butterflies of all sizes and colors flew everywhere, a barrage of colors: red, orange, black, purple, and even a blue one fluttered by now and then.

Shino stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at his feet in embarassment. "It's not much," he muttered, resisting the urge to kick a rock out of his way.

"Not much? Shino-kun, this place is... it's just... amazing! Like something out of a fairy tale..." Hinata closed her eyes and soaked in the sunlight for a moment before opening them and turning to him. "Is this where you go off to when you're alone?"

He nodded and returned his gaze back to the dirt. "It's... comforting, I guess," he said awkwardly. "It's where I went after... after that mission."

Hinata looked over at him. "The one... with Sasuke-kun?"

"Yeah." There was a pause. "I felt better."

She walked over to him, and taking his hand again, said softly, "Everyone survived, Shino-kun."

"Maybe, but--"

"It's not a maybe. The point is that even though the mission failed, everyone still came back. Kiba-kun said for a while you were mad with yourself about it, but there wasn't anything you could do about the fact that you were gone." She looked hard at him. "Why do you keep beating yourself up about it?"

"I don't," he said suddenly, turning around. "We need to get back to practice."

"Shino-kun?"

"I don't beat myself up about it, Hinata. I just..."

Hinata hesitated, then, a look came over her face, and she walked over to him, placed her hands around his middle, and squeezed. "You've looked like you could use a hug for a while, Shino-kun," she muttered, her face bright red.

Shino, shocked beyond the mind's comprehension, sat there stupidly for a moment or two.

Hinata released him and poked her fingers together, scarlet in the face. She too looked shocked with what she'd just done, then repeated what Shino had said a moment earlier, albeit with more stuttering. "We-we should h-head back..."

She turned around and began to walk back, no doubt mentally beating herself to a pulp for that previous action.

A moment's contemplation for Shino, and then he decided.

"Hinata?"

She turned around--

--and blinked when Shino walked up and lightly pressed his mouth to hers.

There was a long silence, and when they broke apart, Shino looked into her eyes with a manner of seriousness he'd never felt before, and he heard the words coming out of his mouth, his mind in a stupor.

"Thank you, Hinata."

She smiled fondly at him.

"You're welcome, Shino-kun."

**.:X:.**

**A/N:** I tried. That's all that matters, right? Reviews, please? I need to know how my crappy romance went, and if I should stick to comedy.

By the way, the fever thing is real, at least for me. Every single morning I'd come out of first period and my friends would be like, "Gina, the hell, you've got a fever," and I'd be like, "Wha?"


End file.
